Littler storms into World Matchplay semi-finals after dominant quarter-final win
World number one Luke Littler cruised into the World Matchplay semi-finals with a commanding 16-7 quarter-final win over Josh Rock.
Luke Littler continued his World Matchplay title defence with a straightforward 16-7 victory over Josh Rock in the quarter-finals in Blackpool. The pair traded breaks to reach 5-5, but the 19-year-old world number one then won five consecutive legs, leaving Rock with no way back. Littler threw 17 180s with a scoring average of 109.57.
After the match, Littler said everything was going to plan and he felt good, adding that he could afford to miss doubles because his scoring was so strong. He will face unseeded Dutchman Dirk van Duijvenbode in Saturday's semi-final.
Van Duijvenbode earlier defeated Gary Anderson 16-13, surviving a late fightback from the 2018 champion. Anderson had closed an eight-leg deficit and hit a 154 checkout, but van Duijvenbode held on. Reflecting on his previous match against Michael van Gerwen, van Duijvenbode had described shaking "like a little child crying for his mum" after leading 8-4.
